by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

They danced, twirled, flashed their pearly whites and strutted their best stuff in a quest for the tiara - and the scholarship cash.

And in the end ... Miss New York, Mallory Hytes Hagan, 23, was named Miss America 2013.

Her hometown is Brooklyn and she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her platform issue is child sexual abuse prevention and she plans to obtain a degree in cosmetics and fragrance marketing, according to her bio, with an eye toward a career in global cosmetics marketing. She was tops with the judges in the swimsuit competition during Saturday night's show, and she performed a mean tap dance to James Brown's Get Up Offa That Thing.

The night kicked off with ABC hosts Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) and Brooke Burke-Charvet (Dancing With the Stars) introducing the 53 contestants (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), who introduced themselves with sassy state sayings, including:

-"From the state where we use sushi as bait, and, no, y'all are the ones with the accent, I am Miss South Carolina, Ali Rogers."

And there's Mariah Cary, Miss Iowa.

Said Burke-Charvet, "I feel great. It's gonna be a good night!"

First up: A special "America's choice" semi-finalist, chosen from online voting based on contestant vidoes: Miss Montana Alex Wineman, the first contestant in the pageant to have been diagnosed with autism.

So, what are the judges looking for? "This is that real spotlight moment," explained Sam Champion. "This is elegance, poise, grace and that ability to grab every bit of attention and focus it on her. This is her moment."

Moving more gracefully and slower, the 12 worked the stage. Five wore white, three wore black, one blue, one red, one silver, one gray.

Shameless plug time: Burke-Charvet touted her new fitness DVD and the contestants did a few moves, even though most of them were wearing high heels.

Talent time for the Top 10 finalists:

Miss Texas Danae Couch twirled batons to Donna Summer's Last Dance. Oops! One small drop. But she finished big - juggling three at once.

Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson sang Adele's Turning Tables.

Miss Illinois Megan Ervin danced to Journey's Faithfully.

Taking a break from the action, Harrison then noted the pageant contestants probably "haven't eaten carbs in about six years!" so he and Burke-Charvet passed out donuts to those who were no longer in the running. "You have no idea how deprived these ladies have been," said Burke-Charvet.

Note: Two of the contestants who received a lot of attention before the pageant did not make it to the Top 10. Miss District of Columbia Allyn Rose will undergo a double mastectomy now that the competition is over as a preventive measure because cancer runs in her family. And Miss Montana Alexis Wineman was the Miss America organization's first autistic competitor.

Now, for the all-important question time!

First up: Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton. She drew judge Cheryl Burke, who asked, "What are you thoughts on how sensational reality shows like Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers and Tiaras portray their mothers, young girls and the world of pageants?"

Her answer: "Even though we do think they live an outrageous lifestyle, at the end of the day you have to admit that mother loves her daughter ...You have to remember these are reality shows and we just have to take them with a grain of salt."

Her response: "As a football fan and as someone who would like to be featured.. at a football game, I think he has every right to point out her beauty. She is, in fact, gorgeous. I think this is something we can display not only on the Miss America stage, but hey, at a football game, too."

Next: Miss New York Mallory Hagan. Sam Champion asked about gun control and a proposal to have an armed guard in every school. "Do you think that would make our schools safer?"

"I actually don't," she said. "I don't think the proper way to fight violence is with violence." She urged education about guns.

Fourth: Miss Iowa Mariah Cary. Bradley Bayou asked about marijuana legalization and whether it's the right direction for our country. "I think that depends on the situation. I personally know people who have had to go to medical marijuana for their last resort for their health care and I support that. However, I do not think it should be used for anything but recreational use and health care." Oops!

Final question went to Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden. She was asked by McKayla Maroney if parents are being too quick to medicate for attention deficit disorder.

Her answer: "It comes down to a parent's choice. but ultimately if they want to medicate their child they also need to look for alternative options to truly fix the problem and not just cover it up with medication."

Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler took her final walk before relinquishing the crown. And then came the big news ...

Fourth runner-up: Miss Iowa Mariah Cary

Third runner-up: Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden

Second runner-up: Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton

Runner-up: Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers

And the new Miss America is Miss New York! Mallory Hytes Hagan takes the crown.